The canals on Mars: they were "discovered" by Schiaparelli in 1877. The interpretation of their presence gave the impression to a vast network of irrigation water constructed by intelligent beings, the "Martians".
It was only in 1909 that the French Antoniadi, thanks to the large refractor of Meudon Observatory, concludes to the absence of these, finally confirmed by the images of the Mariner 4 probe.